Asia Pacific

Bankers are hoping for some busy Kazakhstan deal flow as the Tengizchevroil (TCO) oil consortium holds discussions for an unsecured corporate loan of several billion dollars.

Thailand’s Ministry of Finance has given approval to four foreign institutions to issue baht-denominated bonds by September 30.

Singapore's Housing Development Board returned to the domestic market last week, raising S$1bn ($700m) from a deal that showcased the issuer’s strong credentials among Singapore dollar bond investors.

Tata Power subsidiary Bhira Investments, which has picked six lenders to arrange a refinancing of a $460m facility, is stretching the tenor of the new loan to five years.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has made a series of changes to rules governing companies raising capital in its stock market.

After almost five years, Hong Kong has recognised Russia as an accepted jurisdiction for issuers looking to list in the city. But whether the ties would be a game-changer for Asian equity capital markets is a big question, writes Philippe Espinasse.

Despite the terrible start for China’s equity market this year, primary issuance has kicked off with a bang. Year-to-date A-share equity capital market volumes are at a record high, with follow-on offerings leading the way.

One of China’s big four banks, Agricultural Bank of China, is seeking shareholder approval to issue Rmb80bn ($12.16bn) worth of Basel III tier two capital notes in the period up to the end of 2018.

Chinese hospital group Phoenix Healthcare has terminated an undrawn $150m loan raised in February 2015 due to the instability in the foreign exchange rate.

A former Commerzbank banker has resurfaced as a member of National Australia Bank’s Asia DCM team.

In a break from the consensus, CLSA’s equity strategist, Christopher Wood, said the renminbi will be stable this year against the new trade-weighted basket introduced by the central bank. However, he viewed the introduction of the offshore renminbi (CNH) as a mistake as shown by the huge amount of reserves spent to defend the currency.

Hua Han Health Industry Holdings is eyeing the international bond market for the first time, having mandated one bank to work on a dollar-denominated deal.